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Dentons Represents Unlawfully Sterilized Woman in Pro Bono Case Against Czech Ministry of Health

Czech Republic
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Dentons has successfully represented an unlawfully sterilized woman in administrative court proceedings against the Ministry of Health of the Czech Republic regarding a denied claim for compensation and subsequent appeal on a pro bono basis.

According to the firm, "between 1966 and 2012, thousands of women – mostly Roma – were pressured by the Czechoslovak and subsequently Czech authorities into signing consent forms for sterilization, often without being informed about what they were signing or the full implications of doing so. This practice was widely condemned by the UN and human rights organizations. In an effort to atone for past injustices, in 2021, the Czech government passed Act No. 297/2021 Coll. to offer compensation to women who had undergone unlawful sterilization."

In this specific case, following the Ministry of Health’s rejection of the claimant’s compensation claim, Dentons represented the claimant in an administrative action against the ministry’s decision and the subsequent decision of the Minister of Health on the filed appeal. According to the firm, the ministry’s review of the claim resulted in a decision awarding the claimant compensation of CZK 300,000 in accordance with Act No. 297/2021 Coll., on providing a lump sum of money to persons sterilized in violation of the law, with the firm adding that "the landmark judgment of the Municipal Court in Prague is the first in which the courts have substantively addressed the conditions that had to be met under the law in force at the time of the procedure in order for the sterilization to be considered lawful. The Municipal Court in Prague concluded, among other things, that the absence of instructions on the degree of reparability of the sterilization procedure is a ground for granting compensation under Act No. 297/2021 Coll., and the Ministry of Health must consider this legal opinion in future cases."

The Dentons team included Associates Alzbeta Bohmova and Barbora Katrakova and Junior Associate Aneta Krulcova with the support of Prague pro bono Partner Jiri Tomola.

Czech Republic Knowledge Partner

PRK Partners, one of the leading Central European law firms, has been helping clients achieve their business objectives almost 30 years. Our team of lawyers, based in our Prague, Ostrava, and Bratislava offices, has a unique knowledge of Czech and Slovak law and of the business environment. Our lawyers studied at top law schools in the United States, United Kingdom, Switzerland and elsewhere. They also have experience working for leading international and domestic law firms in a number of jurisdictions. We speak your language, too. Our legal team is fluent in more than 15 languages, including all the key languages of the region.

PRK Partners has one of the most experienced legal teams on the market. We are consistently rated as one of the leading law firms in the region. We have received many significant honours and awards for our work. We represent the interests of international clients operating in the Czech Republic in an efficient way, combining local knowledge with an understanding of their global requirements in a business-friendly approach. We are one of the largest law firms in the Czech Republic and Slovakia. Our specialised teams of lawyers and tax advisors advise major global corporations as well as local companies. We provide comprehensive legal advice drawing on our profound knowledge of local law and markets.

Our legal advice delivers tangible results – as proven by our strong track record. We are the only Czech member firm of Lex Mundi, the world's leading network of independent law firms. As one of the leading law firms in the region, we have received many national and international awards, in some cases several years in a row. Honours include the Chambers Europe Award for Excellence, The Lawyer and Czech and Slovak Law Firm of the Year. Thanks to our close cooperation with leading international law firms and strong local players, we can serve clients in multiple jurisdictions around the globe. Our strong network means that we can meet your needs, wherever you do business.

PRK Partners has been repeatedly voted among the most socially responsible firms in the category of small and mid-sized firms and was awarded the bronze certificate at the annual TOP Responsible Firm of the Year Awards.

Our work is not only “business”: we have participated on a longstanding basis in a wide variety of pro bono projects and supported our partners from the non-profit sector (Kaplicky Centre Endowment Fund, Tereza Maxová Foundation, Czech Donors Forum, etc.).

Firm's website: www.prkpartners.com

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